Did You Say...SNOW!

YES, IT SNOWED HERE!

IT SNOWED A LOT!

Sorry, I'm done shouting now!

We knew there was a storm coming, but had no clue it was going to dump snow on us overnight!

It started raining around midnight and I could hear the steady fall of it throughout most of the night.

At some point though, it turned to SNOW!

We so need the moisture and I'm all for rain, lots of rain, but...

I'm SO NOT ready for the snow!

I left for work at my usual time after being forewarned about how bad the road was in our valley, made it about 7 miles down the road and slide right off into the bar-ditch!

Ripped the license plate right of the front of my car I did!

I turned around and went home mumbling cursing all the way about how much I dislike loath the snow!

Hubby was very sweet and warmed up his truck to take me to town cause I needed to get to the office.

I stopped at the office and picked up work to bring back home to do.

No way was I going to sit at my desk all day and worry about what the hell our road was going to be like for my drive home. I'm a worrier like that and then I become non-productive! 

We ran a couple of errands that needed taking care of and then headed back for the farm.

It was STILL SNOWING! 

There was about 6 inches on the top of our little pass that leads in/out of the valley!

The valley floor had about 4 inches and the roads were a horrible, snowy, slicker than snot, muddy mess!

I have spent the day working from home wondering if the storm was going to pass or hang around.

The storm is still hanging over us and we are forecast to receive more snow over night.

Oh goody...NOT! 

"It seems as if winter is impatient to show her chilly, frozen face."

Fall Afternoon

Fall has arrived in our valley.

The frenetic pace of summer has passed.

Fall has arrived with its browns, its golds, its crisp cold mornings and warm afternoons.

Fall has arrived with its winds!

The fields are going to sleep.

Fall has arrived like an old friend.

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." 

~ Henry David Thoreau

A Chilly Cemetery Stroll

Earlier in the month, we traveled to Virginia City, Nevada for a friends wedding.

It was a weekend jam packed full of fun, adventure and beautiful moments!

Aside from all of the wedding activities that were planned, we had a list of things we wanted to do as well. 

One of them was to take a walk through the Virginia City cemetery.

After breakfast on Sunday morning and before we left town, we made a stop at the cemetery.

While the weather had been beautiful the day before, it was chilly and drizzly on Sunday morning.

You could see your breath as you walked along! 

Meg's and I bundled up and headed up the dirt path with cameras in hand.

There was a historical walk getting ready to take place, but we didn't have time to join in on that as it would have taken almost two hours to complete. I think it would have been fun to do as they had historical reenactors guiding the tour and stationed throughout the cemetery. It's on our list "of things to do" on our next visit.

Off we went!

The clouds set down further over the valley as we walked along. 

You could feel the past all around you! It was eerily quiet as we moved up the rocky path. 

 Many of the graves are family plots and surrounded by intricate fences or rock walls. 

 Under that tree was a lone grave, the wooden marker no longer readable.

 The knob on this gate caught my attention. I thought it was rusted at first, but it was marble!

So pretty! And this was another family plot!

 The barren tree adds to the desolate landscape!

 There was lots of uphill walking on the rocky path. 

As we topped a rise the oldest part of the cemetery came into view!

This is where I stopped. Meg went on down the road to get more photos. 

We could have spent hours there just wondering the paths, reading headstones and soaking in the history that we could feel all around us! 

Virginia City is steeped in a rich, vibrant history and is such a wonderful place to visit and explore!

Before we head back for our next visit, I'm going to have to get my legs in shape!

There is a lot of uphill walking in this little town built on the side of the mountains! 

Hunters Moon on the Rise

The October full moon is known as the Hunters Moon.

I took this photo on my way home from work on Wednesday, October 16 just after 6 p.m. 

 I took this shot on Friday, October 18 just after 7 p.m.

The Hunters moon was full and bright rising over our valley!

It's been keeping me and the critters awake at night! 

A full moon is never better seen then in a rural location far from city lights! 

New Addition

Her name is Zelda.

A.K.A. Butter Bean

I have no idea why I feel the need to give our critters nicknames, but I do. 

Zelda is our daughters' cat.

Zelda's momma lives at the grooming shop that our daughter works at, so Meg's has been around Zelda since she was born! 

When she was itty-bitty, her eyes were bright blue.

They have since changed to a deep golden color.

She is sweet kitty and greets you at the door when you come home.

 She loves to "hide" and pretend she can't be seen.

 She loves to sleep in unusual positions!

 And she loves to snuggle with her person. 

Having a kitten around is like having a two year old in the house!

Always into something and up to mischief! 

She is a fun addition to our critter family! 

It's Fall Y'all

September has gone by WAY TO FAST! 

At work, it's the end of the project year for me!

Which means my month has been full of wrapping up projects, doing end of year reports and all of this on top of the normal, every day work load. 

It's been busy! 

But I couldn't let September end without an official fall post.

I think fall is probably my favorite season.

Well, I like all of the season really, but there is just something special about fall that beckons to me.

I've had my camera (the camera on my iPhone) handy to capture some early fall happenings around the farm. 

There have been crazy midnight storms rolling through!

The kind that wake you up from a sound sleep, only to make you

wonder what the hell is going on!

The kind with lightning and thunder that make you want to hide under the bed.

The kind that make the weather change over night!

The kind that bring much needed rain, but we just didn't need it yet as we still have hay on the ground!

The morning this photo was taken, there was snow on the ridge line on the mountain range in front of us.

Fall ushers in the end of summer nights and beckons early fading light.

The last full moon of summer rising over the farm!

Fall brings...

Cool, crisp mornings with a sky so blue and sun so bright it makes your eyes hurt!

The clouds just seemed suspended in the morning sky.

Fall also brings our 24th wedding anniversary!

And a really cool gift and flowers!

Yes, I said really cool gift!

Not many gals would find a gun safe "a really cool" gift, but I do! 

And 24 years with my Hayman...Wow!

Fall makes you think of holidays and...

 Turkeys!

Big Tom Turkeys!

And extra chores! 

Doing the chores on a fall morning is just different than any other time of the year! 

Fall brings extra work events...

Like petting zoo's!

The evening I worked this event, it was 40 degrees outside!

The kids helping me were cuddling the animals to stay warm!

And fall also brings dinner with friends we haven't seen in a long while and really good wine!

That bottle on the right...was AMAZING!

And if you've never tried chocolate wine, well you must!

And fall is the perfect time to do so!

Happy Fall Y'all! 

Butts

Cute little sheep butts in adorable Lambie Jammies!

Below are the two lambs that Meg took to the county fair over Labor Day weekend.

These two had the coolest "outfits" in the barn!

A couple of fashionistas!

 

 

Thor and C.B. have been a 4-H project since earlier this spring!



 

C.B. won the Over-all Grand Champing Breeding Sheep Award!

She is a Grand Champion breeder!

C.B. never really did settle down and remained on the crazy side and a tad hard to handle!

She took Megs out several times and even trampled her on fair weekend!

She will most defiantly have some nice offspring, but I sure hope they don't inherit her crazy personality! 

 

Thor placed third in the market class and sold for a nice price!

(Yes, I said sold! Yes, we get attached, but what in the world are we going to do with a glorified lawn ornament if we don't sell them!) 

This was Megs final 4-H fair and project!

Her years in 4-H are complete!

She will now transition from 4-H'er to 4-H leader and carry on with her poultry group!

She set a goal over 10 years ago, when she said that some day she would market an animal at the fair!

Goal completed!

Very proud! 

Zig-Zags in the Sky

We have had a series of summer storms roll through our valley the last few days.

They have been powerful storms!

I sat on the porch yesterday evening with my iPhone and took some shots of the light show that was playing out before me.

I was able to capture some cloud to cloud lightning!

There were seven thunderstorm cells over our county when I was taking these photos!

Three of those cells were located in or near our valley.

I'm very afraid of lighting and usually will not venture outside when there is a storm.

Yesterday was different and I braved the elements and my fear!

The sky was angry, the thunder rolled and the lightning zig-zagged across the evening sky!